Department of English and Philosophy
The Doctor of Arts in English prepares graduates to teach in two-year and four-year colleges. Thus the program requires breadth of study in English and American literature, interdisciplinary course work, course work in pedagogy and supervised teaching internships. Students will undertake directed research in one or both required doctoral papers.
For classified admission to the D.A. program, applicants must satisfy the following criteria:
1. An accumulative grade point average of 3.5 in English courses.
2. Scores at or above the 50th percentile on the verbal section of the GRE general test and at or above the 50th percentile on the GRE subject test on literature in English.
3. Three letters of recommendation, preferably from professors who know the student's recent academic work.
Priority will be given to experienced, successful teachers.
Students admitted conditionally without GRE scores must take the tests the first time they are offered following the student's admission. Continuation in the program is subject to a student's meeting this requirement.
The Doctor of Arts in English requires a minimum of 48 semester credits beyond the M.A. degree in English. A course completed as part of a student's M.A. program may be approved to satisfy a particular requirement of the D.A. program, with the exception of the four required seminars in literature. However, the substitution of coursework does not waive the minimum credit requirement for the D.A. program.
Not more than nine semester hours beyondthe M.A. may be transferred from other institutions.
At least two consecutive semesters of full-time residence study are required.
Students must maintain a 3.5 grade point average to qualify for the D.A. degree. Three grades below B during the entire program will automatically disqualify a student.
Graduate students must follow the policy on incomplete grades as it is listed in the Idaho State University Graduate Catalog.
Teaching assistantships and D.A. fellowships will not be renewed for students with incomplete grades on their transcripts.
1. Students must complete two supervised teaching internships. The student must submit a detailed written prospectus for each proposed internship for approval by the Graduate Committee prior to the semester of the internship. An unacceptable D.A. internship will be interpreted the same as a course grade of C.
2. Students will write two Doctor of Arts papers, choosing from the following options:
a. One pedagogical or interdisciplinary
b. One from the choice not taken above or a creative or critical literary paper.
The doctoral papers will be evaluated by at least three members of the graduate faculty, including a representative from outside the Department of English. An unacceptable D.A. paper will be interpreted the same as a course grade of C.
3. A colloquium presentation on a topic of their current research, given in the penultimate or ultimate semester of full-time study, allows students to obtain experience in presenting the results of their research to their peers.
A minimum of 12 semester credits, including the following requirements:
ENGL 631 Seminar in Teaching Writing 3 crENGL 700 Supervised Teaching Internship 6 cr
An additional pedagogy course approved by the department 3 cr
A minimum of 12 semester credits.
Students will design an interdisciplinary component appropriate for their interests and professional needs. The Graduate Committee must approve a written prospectus for this component before the student begins the course work. In this component students are expected to explore relationships between English and another discipline (e.g., art, drama, rhetoric, psychology, history, philosophy).
A minimum of 24 credits, including the following requirements:
ENGL 613 Methods of Scholarship in Language
and Literature 3 cr
ENGL 611 Literary Theory and Criticism 3 cr
Course work in language studies 6 cr
Course work in language studies must include two courses chosen from the following list:
ENGL g401 Advanced Composition and Prose Analysis
ENGL g481 Advanced Grammar
ENGL g485 Linguistic Analysis
ENGL g486 Old English
ENGL g487 History of the English Language
ENGL 685 Seminar in Linguistics
SPCH g436 Rhetorical Criticism
OR
SPCH g437 Rhetorical Theory
Seminars in literature 12 cr
One of these must be in literature before 1800 and one must be in literature after 1800.
The comprehensive examination, taken after the student has completed at least 32 semester credits beyond the M.A. degree, includes the following sections:
a. Language studies
b. Genre
c. Literature before 1800 or after 1800.
The comprehensive examination may be repeated one time, within 12 months.
Students must demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language, either modern or ancient, before the program of study is complete. The purpose of this requirement is for students to have a current knowledge of a language other than English and of its relation to the culture from which it originates. Students may satisfy this requirement in one of the following ways:
1. By passing four semesters of one foreign language with an average grade of B, either during the course of study for the graduate degree or with an interval of no longer than two years between the completion of the last language course and the beginning of graduate study in English at Idaho State University.
2. By passing a two-part examination administered by the Foreign Language Department with a grade of B.
3. By having completed a major in a foreign language, as verified by a college transcript.
4. By having satisfied a foreign language requirement as part of having completed an M.A. in English with an interval of no longer than two years between the completion of the last language course and the beginning of graduate study in English at Idaho State University.
The Master of Arts in English prepares graduates for careers and for doctoral study in English. The program emphasizes study in English and American literature and requires course work in the English language. A well-developed mentoring program provides supervised teaching experience in composition for students holding assistantships.
For classified admission to the M.A. program, applicants must satisfy the following criteria:
1. An accumulative grade point average of 2.75 over the last two years of undergraduate course work for the B.A.
2. A score at or above the 35th percentile on the verbal section of the GRE general test.
3. Three letters of recommendation, preferably from professors who know the student's recent academic work.
Students admitted conditionally without GRE scores must take the general test the first time it is offered following their admission. Continuation in the program is subject to a student's meeting this requirement.
Students admitted without at least 18 credits of undergraduate courses in English and American literature and language, excluding freshman composition, will be required to make up deficiencies in their undergraduate work. The Graduate Committee will specify the courses that the student must take to do so.
The Master of Arts in English program provides both thesis and non-thesis options. Each option requires a minimum of 30 semester credits in courses approved by the Department of English, and students in each option must pass the General Literature Examination. Teaching assistants must take a minimum of 33 semester credits, including English 731. Students must take at least 18 of these credits in 600-level courses.
In place of the 6 credits granted for the thesis, students selecting the non-thesis option must take 6 credits of graduate course work. Students selecting the non-thesis option must also pass a Set Text Examination to qualify for the M.A. degree.
Students selecting either option must demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language (see options for satisfying requirement under Doctor of Arts in English). Students whose needs are not best satisfied by completing the foreign language requirement may substitute an additional 6 credits in courses in English language studies, with the permission of the Graduate Committee. Students choosing to substitute the English language courses will complete a minimum of 36 semester credits for the M.A. degree (39 semester credits for teaching assistants).
All students must maintain a satisfactory record of scholarship. Three grades below B during the entire program will automatically disqualify a student from continuing in the program.
Graduate students must follow the policy on incomplete grades as it is listed in the Idaho State University Graduate Catalog.
ENGL 611 Literary Theory and Criticism 3 cr
ENGL 613 Methods of Scholarship in Language
and Literature 3 cr
One course in English language studies,
chosen from the following group: 3 cr
ENGL g401 Advanced Composition and Prose Analysis
ENGL g481 Advanced Grammar
ENGL g485 Linguistic Analysis
ENGL g486 Old English
ENGL g487 History of the English Language
ENGL 685 Seminar in Linguistics
ENGL 631 Seminar in Teaching Writing 3 cr ENGL 731 Practicum in Teaching Writing 3 cr
ENGL g401 Advanced Composition and Prose Analysis 3 credits. Study of rhetoric, syntax, and semantics in persuasive and informative writing. Special attention to problems in the teaching of writing. PREREQ: ENGL 301, ENGL 307, OR ENGL 308, OR PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR.
ENGL g406 Advanced Creative Writing Workshop 3 credits. Production and discussion of student writing. Study in a specific genre, with emphasis on longer works. May be repeated once for undergraduate credit. PREREQ: ENGL 306 OR PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR.
ENGL g431 Idaho Writing Project 1-3 credits. This National Writing Project affiliate programhelps K-12 teachers and education majors develop skills in teaching writing across the curriculum. Participants study theory; write daily; and prepare critiques, teaching demonstrations, and position papers.
ENGL g481 Advanced Grammar 3 credits. Study of the principles of structural and transformational grammar, intended for the prospective teacher as well as the general student. PREREQ: ENGL281.
ENGL g485 Linguistic Analysis 3 credits. Advanced course in the techniques of language analysis. Topics will deal with sound systems (phonetics and phonology) or grammatical systems. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits.
ENGL g486 Old English 3 credits. Intensive study of the Old English language, with attention to its intrinsic structure and its relation to Middle and Modern English.
ENGL g487 History of the English Language 3 credits. Linguistic and historical study of the major changes and developments in the English Language.
ENGL 597 Professional Education Development Topics. Variable credit. May be repeated. A course for practicing professionals aimed at the development and improvement of skills. May not be applied to graduate degrees. May be graded S/U.
Graduate Seminars in Composition and Language
ENGL 606 Seminar in Creative Writing 3 credits. Composition of poetry, fiction, and drama (emphasis may vary); methods of teaching creative writing. Permission of the instructor required. May be repeated once with permission of the department.
ENGL 607 Advanced Professional Writing 3 credits. Discussion and practice in the techniques of producing and editing documents for business and industry, governments, and universities. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR.
ENGL 631 Seminar in Teaching Writing 3 credits. A systematic application of the knowledge of language to the teaching of writing, including the analysis and evaluation of student papers.
ENGL 633 Seminar in Teaching Business and Professional Writing 3 credits. Preparation to teach undergraduate business and technical writing courses. Includes the nature and history of business and technical writing, issues in practice and teaching, pedagogical strategies, textbook choice, and research design.
ENGL 685 Seminar in Linguistics 3 credits. Advanced studies in selected topics of linguistics. May be repeated once with permission of the department.
ENGL g440 Philosophy and Literature 3 credits. Reflections on the relation between peotic and speculative discourse. Topics include forms of consciousness, temporality and narrative, metaphysics of genre. Cross-listed as PHIL g440.
ENGL g455 Studies in a Major National Literature 3 credits. Studies in important literatures and cultures not covered by regular course offerings. Will include literatures in translation and literature written in English outside of America and the British Isles. Also listed as LANG g415.
ENGL g456 Comparative Literature 3 credits. The analysis of ideas, problems, and techniques common to important writers of various national literatures.
ENGL g461 Classical Literature 3 credits. Study of the major literature of the classical Greek and Roman periods, especially in relationship to its cultural backgrounds.
ENGL g462 Medieval Literature 3 credits. Study of the major literature of the Middle Ages and its background, with emphasis upon the development of English literature.
ENGL g463 Renaissance Literature 3 credits. Study of the major literature of the Renaissance and its background, with emphasis upon the development of English literature.
ENGL g464 Seventeenth-Century Literature 3 credits. Study of the major literature of the seventeenth century and its background, with emphasis upon the development of English literature.
ENGL g465 Eighteenth-Century Literature 3 credits. Study of the major literature of the eighteenth century and its background, with emphasis upon the development of English and American literature.
ENGL g466 Early Nineteenth-Century Literature 3 credits. Study of the major literature of the early nineteenth century and its background, with emphasis upon the development of English and American literature.
ENGL g467 Late Nineteenth-Century Literature 3 credits. Study of the major literature of the late nineteenth century and its background, with emphasis upon the development of English and American literature.
ENGL g468 Early Twentieth-Century Literature 3 credits. Study of the major literature of the early twentieth century and its background, with emphasis upon the development of English and American literature.
ENGL g469 Contemporary Literature 3credits. Study of recent major literature and its background, with emphasis upon English and American literature.
ENGL g472 Proseminar in a Major Literary Figure 3 credits. Intensive study in a single major author other than Chaucer, Milton, and Shakespeare, demanding some independent study and small group participation.
ENGL g473 Chaucer 3 credits. Intensive study of selected works of Chaucer.
ENGL g474 Milton 3 credits. Intensive study of selected works of Milton.
ENGL g476 Shakespeare 3 credits. Intensive study of selected works of Shakespeare.
ENGL g490 Folklore 3 credits. Principles, content, and dissemination of orally transmitted religious beliefs and popular narrative forms in preliterate societies. Also listed as ANTH g490.
ENGL 648 Graduate Reading 1-3 credits. Supplementary reading course arranged on an individual basis. The course requires conferences with faculty supervisor and written assignments or examination. Requires approval of a prospectus by the Graduate Committee.
ENGL 650 Thesis 1-6 credits. Research or creative project. Optional in the M.A. program.
ENGL 611 Literary Theory and Criticism 3 credits. Examination of major literary theories and critical approaches.
ENGL 613 Methods of Scholarship in Language and Literature 3 credits. Training in bibliographical and problem-solving techniques relevant to English.
ENGL 621 Seminar in a Major Literary Genre 3 credits. Study of the theory, form, and conventions of a genre. May be repeated once with permission of department.
ENGL 632 Seminar in Teaching Literature 3 credits. Practical strategies for teaching literature at beginning and advanced undergraduate levels.
ENGL 661 Seminar in Classical Literature 3 credits.
ENGL 662 Seminar in Medieval Literature 3 credits.
ENGL 663 Seminar in Renaissance Literature 3 credits.
ENGL 664 Seminar in Seventeenth-Century Literature 3 credits.
ENGL 665 Seminar in Eighteenth-Century Literature 3 credits.
ENGL 666 Seminar in Nineteenth-Century Literature 3 credits.
ENGL 668 Seminar in Twentieth-Century Literature 3 credits.
ENGL 672 Seminar in a Major Literary Figure 3 credits. Intensive study of the writings of one or two major authors. Critical and biographical topics and historical significance may be considered. May be repeated once with permission of the department.
ENGL 685 Seminar in Linguistics 3 credits. Advanced studies in selected topics of linguistics. May be repeated once with permission of the department.
ENGL 691 Interdisciplinary Seminar 3 credits. Intensive study of a subject from the perspectives of two or more academic disciplines. May be repeated once with permission of the department. Fulfills three credits of interdisciplinary component for the D.A.
ENGL 700 Supervised Teaching Internship 1-9 credits. Practical experience in classroom or laboratory teaching. Graded S/U.
ENGL 731 Practicum in Teaching Composition 3 credits. Teaching composition under supervision. Required of, and limited to, second semester M.A. teaching assistants. PREREQ: ENGL 631. Graded S/U.
PHIL g305 History of Philosophy: Greek Reason and Christian Faith 3 credits. Philosophical readings from the pre-Socratics to St. Thomas Aquinas. Topics include: the theory of essence, human nature and happiness, the problem of evil, the relation of reason and faith.
PHIL g315 History of Philosophy: Rationalism and Empiricism 3 credits. Readings in philosophy from Descartes to Hegel. Emphasis on the question of the limits of human knowledge.
PHIL g325 History of Philosophy: Modern Philosophy Movements 3 credits. Readings in philosophy of the 19th and 20th centuries. Organized to illuminate the development of particular schools of thought, including existentialism, pragmatism, phenomenology, analytic philosophy, and Marxism. Emphasis varies.
PHIL g400 Philosophy of Art 3 credits. Study of philosophic problems encountered in perceiving, interpreting, and evaluating works of art. Topics include the nature of a work of art, aesthetic response, expression, symbol; the nature and role of representation; the nature of interpretive and evaluative claims.
PHIL g410 Philosophy of Language 3 credits. Study of theories of language, with emphasis on contemporary thinkers such as Frege, Heidigger, Russell, Wittgenstein, Piaget, and Chomsky. Topics include the nature and origin of meaning, the temporal dimension of discourse, the significance of syntax, animal languages, computer languages.
PHIL g420 Philosophy of Mind 3 credits. Inquiry into the mind-body problem and representative solutions, such as dualism, philosophical behaviorism, central-state materialism. Related topics include the self, personal identity, immortality, claims of parapsychology, mystical consciousness.
PHIL g430 Philosophy of Science 3 credits. A critical analysis of the philosophical presuppositions of the empirical sciences with attention given to the wider expressions of the presuppositions in contemporary life.
PHIL g440 Philosophy and Literature 3credits. Reflections on the relation between poetic andspeculative discourse. Topics include forms of consciousness, temporality and narrative, metaphysics ofgenre. Cross-listed as ENGL g440.
PHIL g450 Ethical Theory 3 credits. Study of the nature of value claims, stressing ethical value claims; examination of the scope of reason in ethical decision-making. Applications to normative ethical theories. Related topics include human rights, justice, ethical and legal systems.
PHIL g460 Theory of Knowledge 3 credits. A survey of reflections on the question, "What, if anything, can we know?" Topics include knowing, believing, meaning, truth, and certainty.
PHIL g470 Symbolic Logic and Foundations of Mathematics 3 credits. A comprehensive study of formal methods of determining validity and of systems of symbolic logic, with attention to the philosophy of logic and the relationship between logic and mathematics.
PHIL g490 Philosophy Seminar 1-3 credits. Advanced reading and discussion on selected topics in philosophy. May be taken for credit more than once with permission of the department.
PHIL 597 Professional Education Development Topics. Variable credit. May be repeated. A course for practicing professionals aimed at the development and improvement of skills. May not be applied to graduate degrees. May be graded S/U.
PHIL 600 Ethics in Health Care 3 credits. Application of ethical principles and theories to current issues in health care. Topics include allocation of scarce resources, informed consent, duty to treat, research on human subjects, organ transplants, death and dying.
Idaho State University Academic Information
Revised: May 1, 1996
URL http://www.isu.edu/academic-info/prev-isu-cat/grad96/artsci/engldept.htm